“Oh, bring us some figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us some figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer.”

– From the Christmas classic, We Wish You a Merry Christmas

But what IS figgy pudding, exactly?

It’s a little bit cake, it’s a little bit pudding, it’s a little bit booze. This spice cake-like souffle made with figs and walnuts brings out the curiosity in many around the holiday season. Known to most of us from the song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, Figgy Pudding is a Christmas pudding that goes back to the 16th century. Popular in England, it became a hit in that country because of the abundance of fig trees in the region. Many versions of this fruitcake-like dessert are made with rum or other combinations of liquor.

Don’t wait for someone to bring you some Figgy Pudding – you can make some of your own! Here’s a non-alcohol version of the recipe found at www.suite101.com: (We are not affiliated with this site.)

Things You’ll Need

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) of butter

2 eggs

1 cup molasses

3 cups dried figs

½ cup raisins

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup walnuts

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Making the Figgy Pudding

Chop the walnuts roughly.

Remove the stems from the figs and chop those roughly as well.

Grate the fresh spices including the nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon peel so that they are ready for mixing.

In an electric mixer, mix the butter until it is nice and fluffy in texture.

Add the molasses and eggs and beat the mixture again until well mixed.

Combine the figs, lemon peel, raisins, buttermilk and walnuts into the butter molasses and egg mixture. Blend this together again until well mixed.

Add in the rest of the ingredients which include the baking soda, baking flour, flour, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Blend one final time until everything is mixed together well.

Pour this mixture into a greased and floured dish that measures 8 inches 4 inches by 2 inches.

Place the pan in the oven at 315 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (This will be an hour to 75 minutes depending on the altitude.)

Spoon the pudding onto plates and serve at the very end of the Christmas meal.